The Roommate
by Valkerie
Summary: Chekov opens the door to find... a girl?
1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, question: were Chekov and Sulu roommates in the Academy? If so, let's pretend they weren't, for the sake of this weird little story. :D**

**I didn't write Chekov with an accent, because when I do, I just make him sound... weird. **

**Please, review. So I know people are reading. So I know if Chekov is OOC, or if Nina is a Mary-sue in the making. So I know if my writing sucks. Please? :D  
**

Someone knocked on the door. Pavel Chekov looked up from his papers, slightly annoyed. He had been just a few lines away from solving one of the more difficult calculus problems. Still scowling a little, he rose to open the door. As soon as the metal slid away, his eyes widened. There was a girl standing in the doorway, smiling sweetly.

Her eyes were a shocking color of green, and she wore a short little dress, black and white, with large green spots that matched her eyes. The jeans she wore under the dress were faded and soft-looking.

"Hello!" She said brightly. "My name is Nina. I'm thirteen. I'm going to be your roommate."

Chekov stammered, "B- but you're a girl!"

She nodded, artificially colored red hair bouncing up and down. "I'm bisexual. They thought it might freak out a guy less than it would a girl. Plus, they said you were about my age." She cocked her head. "I -or you, of course- can apply for a different roommate if it makes you uncomfortable."

What would probably have been a sarcastic comment, coming from any other person, was actually genuine coming from this girl. Chekov shook his head quickly. "No, no, of course not. I don't mind."

Nina's smile widened. "Cool. May I ask your name?"

"Chekov." he said. "Pavel. I'm thirteen, too."

She turned away and began unloading her bags onto the bed opposite his. "My last name is Correy." She dropped an armful of clothes on the floor, and Pavel almost bent to help her pick them up, when he realized it was mostly underwear. He straightened quickly, slightly embarrassed.

"She stood up again, pushing the armful of underwear into a drawer. "My shuttle was delayed by this monster windstorm. It was hellish!" She laughed. "That's why I'm a whole week late."

Pavel didn't know of any windstorms on earth that would be strong enough to delay a shuttle for over a week. "Where were you?" he asked.

"Cygnus IIII. Windiest planet in the galaxy."

He watched as she pulled a small bag out of her suitcase. Unlike her clothes, which she had pretty much just stuffed into drawers, she handled this bag with a soft sort of care. She pulled a drawstring, and the bag opened slowly. She pulled three things from it: a holograph portrait, an ancient-looking stuffed rabbit with one ear ripped halfway off, and a pair of paper wings. She placed the holograph on the table beside her bed, and the rabbit next to her pillow. Then the took something from her sleeve and used it to stick the paper wings to the wall above her bed. She turned and caught him looking.

"The holograph is of my family," she said with a smile. "The rabbit I've had since I was a little girl, and the wings were made for me by... a friend." Her smile turned a little bit sad when she said this. Pavel said nothing.

She straightened up, turned to him, and made a little bow. "It was very nice meeting you, Mister Pavel Chekov, and I hope you think the same of me." Her hair bounced as she stood, again grinning happily. "Alas, I must now depart. I believe it would be in my best interests to obtain a PADD, and so I shall do so immediately. Goodbye, good sir!"

She spun on her heel and walked out of the room. Chekov thought she looked like she was dancing.

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	2. Class Schedules, Russian, and Jim

**Author's note: **

**JASPERHALEFOREVER: YAY! Thank you! You get cookies for being the first to review^^ Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.**

**Hey, everybody! In this chapter... Jim and Bones! Also, Russian language skills for Nina, and Adorable!Chekov. 3**

**Reviews are life!  
**

Nina walked quickly down the hall, heels clicking against the waxed tile. She looked down at the crumpled map she held in her hands. This place was so big, compared to her high school on Cygnus! It seemed to her like a maze of hallways and rooms and doors and floors-

"Oh!" She yelped as she ran right into another student, who was carrying an armload of papers and books, which scattered all over the floor. "I am so sorry!" she said, as she bent down to help him pick them up.

"No, it was totally my fault, my fault entirely. I was so dazzled by your eyes, that I just... forgot to stop walking."

Nina hadn't expected this comment, and she looked up sharply, to see a young man with blond hair and blue eyes smiling widely at her. Another, dark haired man was standing next to them.

The dark-haired man scowled. "Dammit, Jim, she's younger than the last one! Can't you leave them alone for one day?" He leaned in closer. "Well, you are pretty young! How old are you, kid?"

"Thirteen," she answered quickly, pushing together the last of the blond man -Jim's- papers and handing them to him. She dimly registered the look of surprise on both the men's faces as she stood. "I'm very sorry for bumping into you, sir."

"No problem," replied the one named Jim. The older one grunted.

"Jim bumps into girls on purpose, don't worry about it."

Nina nodded and flashed a quick grin, then hurried away. Dimly she heard Jim say, "Oops." the older man just grunted again.

* * *

An hour later, Nina had managed to find her way to the main office, where she recieved her PADD. She looked through her schedule and used her new digital map as she walked the route she would use to get to her classes, then found her way back to her and Chekov's room.

She knocked again, and said, "It's me, Nina."

Chekov's voice sounded from within. "Come on in!"

She punched in the entry code and stepped through as soon as the door opened. "Hi," she said.

"Privyet," replied Chekov with a smile. Nina smiled back.

"Is that hello in... Russian?" she asked.

"Da," he said, scribbling something on a paper. He turned back to her. "Did you find your way around okay?"

"Da," she said.

Chekov walked over to look at her PADD. "We have a few classes together." He said, pointing at the screen. Nina followed his finger.

"Basic Med, Engineering I, and Diplomacy I." Each was one of the courses that every cadet had to take.

"Cool!" she said, grinning.

Chekov mentally wondered how anyone could have such a bright grin. In fact, the girl's whole... _presence_ was bright! When she walked into the room, it was like all the lights had been suddenly increased by twenty percent. He found he quite liked the fact. She was... radiant.

Nina looked up at him. "Pardon me?"

The surprise must have registered on his face, because she laughed and said, "sorry, I though you'd said something."

"No, no." He mentally shook himself. He'd said that out loud, hadn't he? He'd have to be more careful in the future.


	3. Old Music

**Okay, I'm kind of at a loss as to what happens next. Anyone mind giving me some ideas? I'll totally give you credit^^**

**moviesaremagic: I'm so glad you like Nina! I hope she continues to live up to your expectations^^**

The alarm clock was loud in Pavel's ear. He hit it until it shut up, and then sat up and looked around. In the bed next to his, Nina was doing the same thing. He turned to look at her.

"You have the worst case of bedhead I've ever seen," he informed her. Her red hair was sticking up in a mane all around her head. She tried to shake it into submission, but that only served to mess it up further.

"Speak for yourself!" she laughed. She threw back her blankets and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She wiggled her toes and bounced off the bed. Pavel was amazed. That girl had more energy than anyone he'd ever seen. He closed his eyes and fell back against his pillows. Five more minutes couldn't hurt.

Pavel's calculus teacher was a menace. He droned on and on about the most basic of concepts. At the moment, the man was explaining a problem that Pavel had done ten minutes ago. He watched as the teacher scribbled the problem on the board, and wished he had this class with Nina.

"Alright," said the man loudly. "What I'm going to do is circumvent the indeterminate form by factoring both the numerator and the denominator." He wrote a slightly altered form of the problem below the first, this one with that irritating "zero over zero." "Anyone know what to do now?" Most of the class had already done the problem, or were drooling in dreamland. Pavel continued finishing his homework, instead of raising his hand to answer. The teacher smiled.

"I'll just have to show you, then. Divide out the factors x-2, the factors that are causing the indeterminate form "zero over zero." now the limit can be computed." In the middle of writing down the next step, the teacher dropped his chalk. Pavel sighed. This was going to be a long hour.

Xenology was better. The teacher was a pretty Andorian woman, who spoke in a voice that sounded like clear water. She spoke in depth about each of her topics, and Pavel could tell that she really loved the subject she taught. She had the kind of passion for teaching that he admired.

Basic Med was taught by an old man with a British accent, who liked to pose questions to the class, and praise those who answered correctly. He was a very nice man, and did not scold those who answered incorrectly. He used incorrect answers as an opportunity to give an interesting fact, or tell a funny anecdote that ensured the topic's permanancy in his student's minds.

Chekov sat next to Nina in this class, and neither of them answered questions, except for when Nina explained in detail the chemical difference between a Vulcan's DNA and a Human's. (Even Chekov was a bit bored by that one.) The rest of the time they spent listening intenly to the old teacher and his fascinated students.

He and Nina had lunch together, too. So far, Chekov had been a bit shy when it came to the other cadets. They were all years older than him, and were a bit intimidating. So he invited Nina to come eat outside with him.

It was sunny outside as they walked across the bright green Academy lawn. The warm San Francisco air ruffled Pavel's hair. It made Nina's fly around her head like little red ribbons. They moved avery which way as she walked beside him, humming softly. Whichever song it was that she was singing, it was sweet, he thought, and a little sad. When he asked her what it was, she just shook her head with a small smile. Of course, this only made him more curious.

"Sing a little bit, then," he said.

She took a breath. _ "Why do we go when the blue sky turns to liquid? And the cold trees, stark naked. Ohio, upon the mountains we were growin' up..." _She hummed a few bars of music. _"...So strong."_

"I had no idea you could sing so well," Pavel said. It was true. He looked at the ground for a few moments before he spoke. "That was beautiful," He looked up at her. "Did you write it?"

She laughed, a high, sweet sound. "No. It's by a lady from the twenty-first century. Her name was Frazey Ford. It's called The Gospel Song."

They had reached the tree that Pavel always ate beneath. He and Nina settled down, and spread lunch out before them. Nina leaned her back against the tree and let out a contented sigh. After a minute she sat up and began to sing again, quietly.

_"And I have found a flower that is growin' in the forest, and we talked. By the hour, oh, we were not lovers, but I loved you."_ She hummed for a while as she ate her sandwich, her eyes looking far away and slightly sad.

**Don't forget to review! :D**


	4. Psychology Practice

**Hola, hola gente! Gracias to my reviewers and story-alert-ers. :D :D :D This chappy is just some random cuteness, hope you enjoy^^**

Weeks passed without much incident. Pavel was excelling at calculus; in fact, there had been times he corrected his teacher. Nina had really taken to her psychology and sociology classes. Every day, when classes were over, he would listen to her chatter about this trend or that study. Once, she came in talking about Foreign Accent Syndrome.

"You know," she remarked, picking up her PADD. "There's this thing, it's called Foreign Accent Syndrome. It's where you get hit on the head, and your cerebellum is damaged. You wake up speaking your native language with a foreign accent."

Chekov climbed up on the bed next to her. "So I could hit my head, and wake up speaking English perfectly?"

"Yup!" Replied Nina. "Uh, I mean, not that you-" She was interrupted by a loud thud, and a moan from Chekov. Nina, alarmed, leaned over the side of the bed to see him lying on the floor. He looked up at her.

"Did it work?" he accentuated his already thick Russian accent. Nina laughed.

"Uh, not really." She suddenly got an idea, and threw herself off of the bed, as well. She raised her head to look at Chekov. "Mi sento la testa strana ... Perché ci sono due di voi?"

Chekov eyes widened. "You speak Italian?"

Nina laughed again, rolling over onto her back. "Solo un po '. L'ho raccolto dai miei parenti. E lei parla inglese? Non lo sapevo!"

Chekov sat up, and turned so he was looking down at Nina. "Tolʹko malo." He took a breath, and blushing, said, "... Vy ochenʹ krasivaya, znaete li vy?"

Nina's brow furrowed, and she switched back to English. "What?"

Chekov blushed even more. "Uh... I said, only a little."

She nodded. "I can understand, now that you've told me. I just could't catch it when you said it in Russian. But what was the other part?"

Damn. "Uh, I said that you look very funny, on the floor like that."

She frowned, then laughed again. "Well, then, so do you!" She stood up, laughing. She put her hands on her hips and adopted a harsh frown. "Vat are you doing on ze floor, Ensign? Get up and attend to your station! Ve vill not tolerate zis type of behawior on a Starfleet wessel!"

Both teens were silent for a moment, straining to keep their expressions; Nina with her frown, and Chekov with an exaggerated look of fear. Then both burst out laughing. Nina fell back on the bed, her entire body shaking. Chekov used the side of the bed to pull himself back up.

"_That _was _good,_" he said, choking with laughter. He fell next to Nina, and very suddenly went very tense. His hand had fallen over hers. He pulled it away quickly and tried to slow down his heart. She might think he was flirting with her!

And what if she _had _understood what said in Russian? That would be terrible! But, she still had trouble telling between many of the words he had taught her when he spoke in sentences. There was no way she would have understood. He breathed a sigh of relief. The he blushed again. Nina had turned her head and was looking at him in confusion.

She propped herself up on her elbow, facing Pavel. "You blush really, really red, did you know that?"

That was when Pavel's blush broke all records for intensity.

**Okay, the Italian is:**

**My head feels weird. Why are there two of you?**

**and:**

**Only a little. I picked it up from relatives.**

**The Russian is:**

**Only a little. ...You are very pretty, do you know?**

**:D :D :D yay for cuteness!**

**Reviews are life!  
**


	5. Wings

**A/N: The reason that Pavel has only seen a few books is because everything is digital, like on PADDs and stuff. :D**

Nina walked out of the bathroom, dressed in her Starfleet regulation pajamas. She yawned, climbed onto her bed, and reached under her pillow, pulling out something small and rectangular. She opened it, and Pavel saw that it was a book.

Pavel had only seen three books in his life: one containing the whole of the Federation's Constitution, a Bible in the living room of one of his friends, and his mother's old copy of the Lord of The Rings trilogy. Now he had seen four.

The book was old, bound in dark leather that was cracked and worn on the spine and around the perimeter. There was something written in gold on the cover, but Pavel couldn't read it from the desk. He got up and crossed the room to stand by Nina.

"What is that you're reading?" he asked.

Nina smiled at him. "Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It was written way back in 1973. My granddad gave it to me when I was ten, and I read it through twice in the same day." She laughed. "I've always loved birds, always wondered what it would be like to have wings and feathers. What it would be like to fly." Her smile grew a little smaller, a little sadder. Her eyes fell to her book, which was open to a photo of a seagull, riding the warm ocean breeze. "They're so free. They live and they die as they will, nothing holds them down." She bit her lip. "You know those wings, on the wall over my bed?"

Pavel nodded.

"When I was ten, halfway through my junior year, I got arrested."

Pavel was surprised. What would sweet Nina have done to get arrested? He didn't have to ask, because Nina continued almost immediately.

"I'd been breaking into liquor stores. I'd steal stuff; wine, whiskey, vodka. I'd get drunk. So this one time, I got completely wasted. I found a baseball bat... I went to this school, an elementary school. I broke windows. I smashed lights. I completely trashed some classrooms. And then I just... sat down and cried."

She gave a short, false laugh. "Somebody had seen me break in, and they notified the police. hey found me just sitting under a desk, and they stood me up and put handcuffs on me, and they took me to the courthouse.

"My parents had to pay for the stuff I'd broken. My mom was angry, really furious. My dad..." She trailed off and gritted her teeth. "My dad wasn't happy, either."

"I was convicted of vandalism and theft, and sent to juvenile hall. They made us do a lot of community service, 'to build character,' they said. And one of our service projects was to go to a children's hospital, and read to the kids, talk with them and stuff. There was always an adult present, of course, but if we didn't step out of line, the grown-ups wouldn't interfere.

"And there was this one kid, Joey Mendez. He was about nine-and-a-half. He was terminal; he had really, really bad bone cancer. It hadn't been discovered early enough to save him, and it spread really quickly. He and I would talk about, well, everything. We talked a lot about life, and love, and dreams. And we talked about birds. How they were so free, and beautiful. He loved them maybe even more than I do.

He started getting worse. Somedays he wouldn't be strong enough to talk, and so I'd just hold his hand, or read. Sometimes he would ask me to sing. I knew he probably didn't have much time left, so I asked to speak to his doctor. Normally, they wouldn't have told me much, but they knew what good friends Joey and I were, and they told me that he probably had about a month. I cried so hard. I didn't cry much after I got arrested, even when the kids at juvie would beat me up. But I cried then. I don't know how long. I guess, before I talked to the doctor, before I had an estimate, I didn't really believe that he wouldn't be around to talk to me forever. But when the doctor said that, 'about a month' I just broke."

Nina took a deep, shaky breath. "The last day that I saw him alive, it was a Friday. I'd been allowed to bring some construction paper, and some crayons and colored pencils, and some scissors. We spent about two hours drawing and cutting and talking. I made a cut-paper bird for him. And he made me a pair of wings. 'So you can fly,' he said. 'Just like the birds.'

"That Sunday, I got a call. Special, not usually done. Just for me, so I would know." She stopped talking for a minute, closing her eyes tightly. Then, without opening them, she continued, "Joey had contracted what the doctors believed to be the flu. His immune system was so compromised, so utterly shot to hell, and he was so weak, it killed him. He just... died. And... the last thing he said was... 'Tell Nina I'll finally be flying.'"

She bit her lip, hard. Her breath was cracked and shaky. "I'd been so depressed, until I met Joey. He taught me that, no matter how dark your life seems, no matter how much it feels like all your hope is gone, there is always something to live for."

Pavel stood awkwardly. Nina was holding her breath. He knew she was fighting tears. There was a tightness in his throat, too. He wanted to comfort her. She looked so alone, so isolated. Finally he sat down on the bed beside her, and wrapped his arms around her small frame. She drew a choking breath and laid her head against his chest. Tears slid down her cheeks onto the material of his Academy uniform, and he could feel her hot breath through the cloth. He laid his chin on the top of her head. marveling at the softness of her hair. He lifted his left hand and stroked her hair, closing his eyes and holding her close.

"It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay."

Pavel held Nina for several long, slow minutes, as she cried noiselessly. Her arms wrapped around his torso, and she clutched handfuls of his shirt. When her sobs had subsided into quiet, shaking breaths, she lifted her head and looked at him. Her green eyes were bright with tears, and they held his blue-green ones.

She let go of his shirt and pulled away slightly. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Nina," said Pavel. She looked up, and he put his right hand on the side of her head. Then he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "It's okay." He pulled back and gave her a small smile. She gave a small, sad smile back.

"Thank you," she whispered.


	6. Sleep

**Hi, Valkerie here. **

** I owe you guys a huge apology for not updating in so long (months!), and if you've totally given up on me, that is totally understandable. I have a few half-formed ides for the future of this story, but I really have nothing to connect them, nothing to lead up to them, and no plan beyond these vague little plot... thingies. So please, forgive a starving author if I take a while in between chapters. (I'll try not to make it months this time, guys.) For those of you who have stayed with me, I thank you all so much and give you tons of cookies and buckets of your favorite ice cream, and I hope you enjoy this chapter (atrociously short as it is.)**

He held her gaze for a few more moments, rubbing small circles on the backs of her hands with his thumbs. He wished he could do more, but he didn't have a clue as to what to do or say now. He just kept his eyes on hers, protective, and massaged her hands. Her smile faded quickly, and after a moment, she pulled her hands away and said, "I'll be right back."

She disappeared into the small bathroom. There came the sound of the sink running. A few minutes passed. Pavel didn't move. The door opened and shut, and Nina emerged, eyes red but dry.

She crossed the room to her bookbag, unzipping it and withdrawing two fat textbooks. She carried them over to the bed, eyes uncharacteristically lowered. Still wordless, she climbed onto the bed and curled up against Pavel. "Homework," she explained, but she didn't even open the books, just held them in her lap, and laid her head on his shoulder.

Pavel wasn't sure exactly how to react, and so he just sat there, focusing on Nina's even breathing and her red hair. He felt her tense muscles relax, her body molding warmly to his, and he relaxed in response, releasing tension he hadn't even been aware of. Carefully, he brought his hand up near her cheek, brushing a strand of hair from her face. He realized with surprise that Nina's eyes were closed, lashes pale against her freckled cheek. She'd fallen asleep. Slowly, he shifted, moving into a more comfortable position and wrapping his arms around her and lacing his hands in front of her stomach. He could feel the waffle-weave material of her pajamas; it rose and fell in time with her breath.

Pavel thought briefly of all the homework he had, but decided it could wait until tomorrow. He sighed and presses his cheek against her hair, letting his head fall sideways into the crook of her neck. He figured now would be a good time to join his friend in sleep. Closing his eyes, he whispered into the room, "Lights, zero percent." In the sudden darkness, he briefly imagined Nina's hair glowing a soft golden red, before tightening his hold around her and letting sleep take him.

**So, short enough for ya? -is shot- Ya know, I'm a little weirded out by the fact that this chapter isn't the usual disjointed "shapshot" kind I've been writing for this story. *Le gasp!* Some events that are actually connected! Maybe this little fic will actually end up going somewhere.**

**On another note, HOLY VODKA! I found this software that lets you record yourself! (It's legit, too. I downloaded it from its own website, and I'd seen it referenced as awesome in a couple of other places.) Anyways, I've been having a lot of fun with it. I posted one recording on my Facebook (Grandma made me!), and I've been told I can actually sing. O.O I don't believe it... *can't sing to save my life* I've found that i like to find ballads on the 'Net and make up a melody as I (try to) sing them.  
**

**Hmm... I seem to be rambling... but, then, who reads these, anyways? *laugh* ('Cause I actually read author's notes, lol) **

**Remember, my good people, reviews feed this poor starving author! *a shameless and pathetic attempt at appealing to pathos***

**Valkerie out!  
**


	7. Awake

_The light was strange, and the air seemed to shimmer and flex. Every time Nina turned around, it was like the whole place had changed orientation. She tried to catch the change in action, but she couldn't ever turn quickly enough. _

_She gave up, taking a deep breath and wading through the blue haze, which was shot through with bright yellow fire. When trees entered her view, Nina realized that she was outside on one of the Academy's wide laws. The blue and yellow were the sky and the sun. She became aware of the warmth of the sunlight, and took another breath, imagining she could taste it. Looking down, she saw bright green grass, and a few small, purple flowers. She leaned down to pluck one of the blooms from its place at her feet, and then stood, holding it carefully, and stepping around the flowers still growing. _

_She carried the flower with her as she walked across the lawn, which, when she looked around now, stayed in place. It didn't seem to have a point of origin, or an end. There were no academy buildings, not even vague shapes to suggest a classroom block or a cafeteria. Nina dismissed the thought from her mind. She didn't care about buildings. There was something else she was looking for..._

Nina awoke with a start as the shrill beeping of her alarm clock pierced the veil of sleep. Her eyes fluttered open sluggishly, and she noticed with surprise that her body... not quite ached, but it was difficult to move. Her normally alert, bright-eyed morning self was not there. Her eyes hurt, and her throat was hoarse and sore, like when she would practice singing for too long and stretch her vocal chords too harshly. But what had she...

Oh. Nina inwardly cringed as she tried to sit up. She'd been weak. Revealed one of the things that was hurting her. She'd made herself vulnerable. Sure, Pavel was her friend, but-

Pavel. Nina's breath caught abruptly. She was leaning against something solid and warm. There were arms wrapped around her from the back; fingers were laced at her stomach. _His _arms, _his _hands. It was _him_ that she was leaning against. She could feel his ribcage rise and fall as he breathed.

All of this processed in a matter of seconds. The alarm clock was still beeping, and Nina pushed aside her bewilderment, attempting to disentangle herself from the Russian boy's hold. She felt him stir. Obviously the alarm had woken him, as well. He loosened his grip, and she could hear him yawn as she rolled off the bed. Pushing the textbooks out of the way, she stumbled her way to the clock, fumbling for a minute before she found the correct button to turn it off. The noise shut off with a _click _and Nina breathed a sigh of relief. Then she turned, almost shyly, to face the boy on her bed.

He was sitting up, running a hand through his hair, which looked a little like a cat had elected to sleep there through the night. It was flat in a few places, and it stuck up in tufts elsewhere. Nina almost giggled at the sight. But Pavel caught her staring, and he raised his eyebrows comically. Nina froze. _What do I say now? I fell asleep using him as a pillow; this might be a little awkward. _

She attempted a nervous smile, quirking one corner of her mouth upward and raising her eyebrows slightly. Pavel smiled in return. Nina decided that the awkward silence had gone on too long, and searched desperately for something to say. "Um... did you sleep okay?" Inwardly, she smacked herself as soon as the words left her lips. _You idiot! What the Hell? that's about the worst thing you could have said! Sure, draw attention to the fact that you fell asleep curled up with him like he was your boyfriend or something!_ Outwardly, her eyes widened slightly and she blushed, but it was difficult to tell in the early-morning twilight. To cover her mistake, she commanded, "Lights, twenty percent." Brightness instantly flooded the room. Nina realized that she had messed up again when she and Pavel bothe had to squint to block the painful light. "Sorry," she managed. "Lights, ten percent."

Unexpectedly, Pavel broke out in quiet laughter. Nina couldn't really help herself; she began laughing, too. "Actually," said Pavel sleepily, "I slept quite well." He smiled again. Nina finally relaxed, and smiled back.

Pavel got up, still smiling, and made for the closet on his side of the room. Nina went to go collect her textbooks. As she did so, she thought about last night. Apparently Pavel didn't mind that she'd let herself break down. A thought flashed into her mind. _People in the real world don't hit you for crying._ She pushed the thought away quickly. Now was not the time to think about that.

Lunch that day was relatively uneventful. Perhaps both teenages blused at strange moments, and maybe they didn't sit as close to eac other as usual, but really, of course there wasn't a sort of phantom awkwardness hanging in the air. The fact that neither of them spoke about last night or this morning was purely coincidence. At least, that's what Nina told herself.

But she did catch herself more that once searching the grass for purple flowers. Each time, she would shake her ead slightly, trying to forget her weird dream._ It wasn't so much the dream itself, _ she would muse, _but the way I felt. I wish I had found what I was looking for._

Beside her, Pavel would study her face, wishing he knew what his friend was considering so carefully, but not wanting to ask, lest it raise... awkward topics. So he would turn back to his sandwich and take a bite, not really tasting it, lost in thoughts of his own.


End file.
